Faithless Israel Called to Repentance Continued
“If you return, O Israel,
Declares the Lord,
to me you should return.
If you remove your detestable things from my presence,
and do not waver,
and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
then nations shall bless themselves in him,
and in him shall they glory.”
-Jeremiah 4:1-2
Disaster from the North
“In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”
-Jeremiah 4:9
Then Jeremiah said to the Lord,
“Ah, Lord God,
how completely you have deceived this people
and Jerusalem by saying,
‘You will have peace,’
when the sword is at our throats.
-Jeremiah 4:10
At that time the people and Jerusalem will be told,
“A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert
blows toward my people,
but not to winnow or cleanse;
a wind too strong for that comes from me.
Now I pronounce my judgments against them.”
-Jeremiah 4:11-12
Behold, he comes up like clouds;
his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are swifter than eagles–
woe to us, for we are ruined!
O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil,
that you may be saved.
How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
-Jeremiah 4:13-14
“Your ways and your deeds
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom, and it is bitter;
it has reached your very heart.”
-Jeremiah 4:18
Anguish over Judah’s Desolation
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent,
for I hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.
-Jeremiah 4:19
“For my people are foolish;
they know me not;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
They are ‘wise’–in doing evil!
But how to do good they know not.”
-Jeremiah 4:22
*This next section has the striking repetition of “I looked” at the beginning of each verse, which ties the poem together and underscores its visionary character. As the prophet sees his beloved land in ruins after Babylonian onslaught, creation as it were, has been reversed.
I looked on the earth, and behold,
it was without form or void;
and to the heavens, and they had no light.
I looked on the mountains, and behold,
they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
I looked, and behold, there was no man,
and all the birds of the air had fled.
I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert,
and all the cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.
-Jeremiah 4:23-26
The Lord said that the whole land would be ruined, though he would not destroy it completely.
“Therefore the earth will mourn
and the heavens above grow dark,
because I have spoken and will not relent,
I have decided and will not turn back.”
-Jeremiah 4:28
Jerusalem Refused to Repent
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
I will forgive this city.”
-Jeremiah 5:1
O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
You struck them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than stone
and refused to repent.
I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.
-Jeremiah 5:3-5
“Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
Each neighing for another man’s wife.
Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”
-Jeremiah 5:7-9
“The house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord.
“They have lied about the Lord;
they said, ‘He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;
we will never see sword or famine.
The prophets are but wind
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.'”
-Jeremiah 5:11-13
The Lord Proclaims Judgment
The Lord explained to the house of Israel that a distant nation, that was ancient and enduring, was coming to them. They would not know their language, and would not understand their speech, but they were all mighty warriors that would devour everything.
Yet, even in those days, the Lord assured that he would not destroy his people completely. When the people would ask the Lord why he would do this to them he would remind them how they had forsaken him and served foreign gods in their own land. So, as a result they would then serve foreigners in a land not their own.
Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
“Should you no fear me?”
declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble in my presence?”
-Jeremiah 5:21-22
“But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us the weeks appointed for harvest.’
Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.”
-Jeremiah 5:23-25
“They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless,
to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
Shall I not punish them for these things?”
declares the Lord,
“and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?”
-Jeremiah 5:28-29
“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land:
The prophets prophecy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?”
-Jeremiah 5:30-31
Impending Disaster for Jerusalem
When the attacking army arrived they were to prepare for war against Jerusalem. The Lord addressed the Babylonian troops to help them bring up battering rams and scale Jerusalem’s walls.
The Lord said that Jerusalem was a city that must be punished for there was nothing but oppression within her. Jerusalem suffered from spiritual decay and disease, but was not aware of it.
Jerusalem and its people would be attacked, but the Lord would stop them before complete destruction. Jeremiah tried speaking to the people, but did not know who he could speak to that would actually listen to him.
The Lord continued on saying that everyone would be judged: children, young men, husband and wife, from the youngest to the oldest.
“From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.”
-Jeremiah 6:13
“Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know hot to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
-Jeremiah 6:15
The Lord continued speaking of the ancient paths, referring to the tried and true ways of Judah’s godly ancestors as mentioned in Deuteronomy 32:7. This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is,
and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
-Jeremiah 6:16
The Lord continued saying how the people still refused to listen and had rejected his laws, so he would bring disaster on them. The Lord would put obstacles before his people, and all would stumble over them and perish.
Lastly, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and appointed him to test the people of Judah as a refiner tests metals.
“I have made you a tester of metals among my people,
that you may know and test their ways.
They are all stubbornly rebellious,
going about with slanders;
they are bronze and iron;
all of them act corruptly.
The bellows blow fiercely;
the lead is consumed by the fire;
in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
Rejected silver they are called,
for the Lord has rejected them.”
-Jeremiah 6:27-30